When providing data services such as video programming to one or more units in a multi-unit building that serves multiple occupants or tenants, an owner or landlord will determine the most cost effective way to provide the video to the multiple occupants or tenants. For example, an owner of a hotel may utilize multiple video playing devices in each and every unit of the hotel. The playing devices may comprise video cassette recorders or CD-ROM players, for example. However, an occupant or tenant may need to provide his own source material. Furthermore, the costs of installing playing devices in every room may not be desirable. Subsequently, the per unit maintenance issues may not be desirable. Alternatively, the owner may subscribe to services provided by a multimedia services provider. Often however, these services may be very expensive to the owner of the hotel.
The limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.